Supply Chain Tech Part 4: On the Road

Why A Lack Of Transportation Tech Could Be Costing You

12.07.17

The right trucking accounting solution provides a roadmap to success.

When it comes to the efficient transportation of goods from supplier to retailer, only those intimately acquainted with the process know how many variables are at stake: key players must consider the nuances of dispatching, last-minute load additions, resource assignments, fuel tax reporting, freight billing, and regulatory compliance every step of the way. Each of these processes involves multiple agents who are often geographically separated — which makes it challenging to maintain smooth communication and uninterrupted access to accurate, real-time information.

Without automated billing for customers, route and load optimization software, and integration with accounting software, it’s easy to make small mistakes that end up hurting your bottom line. Whether you’re using spreadsheets, QuickBooks, brokerage, or all three, old-school management methods aren’t the best way to keep up with a modern supply chain. If you consistently run into billing inaccuracies, system-wide inefficiencies, and a lack of productivity, it might be time to consider a change of pace.

Cutting-edge transportation software helps mitigate these inherent complexities. The right solution can help your business not only meet consumer demands, but exceed expectations for on-time delivery, customer service, and overall efficiency.

How Transportation Tech Can Help

Imagine this: what if instead of leaving a complex paper trail, drivers could make a delivery capture that was signed on their smartphone or tablet? And what if that digital signature could be automatically filed into the dispatch program, so that the driver could invoice the customer within minutes of the load being delivered? With the right accounting software, a system like that isn’t just possible to implement — it’s simple, too.

Whether you have a fleet of 30 trucks or a fleet of five, truck accounting software can improve transparency, billing accuracy, and overall operational efficacy. Here are just a few of the benefits:

Documents can be managed in the cloud instead of a paper-based filing system.

Customers are billed properly and promptly every time.

Maintenance procedures are automated, whether they’re as straightforward as an oil change or as important as a mandatory annual inspection on a vehicle.

Customer service-wise, this software makes an enormous difference as well: “nothing is lost,” Draisma says. You can make adjustments on the fly without fearing that important paperwork will be misplaced in the shuffle. But the biggest benefit, according to Draisma? “Prophesy provides a glass door for your whole operation, so any one person has as much information as the next.” No matter what your role is in the organization, you’ll always have access to the information you need to do your job, whether you’re in the office or out on the road.